The Subaru Levorg has several niche qualities, one of which is how small the specification line-up is.
In fact, UK car buyers are offered literally just one version of the Levorg - a trim called GT. The good news about this is that it usually means the manufacturer probably won’t want to skimp on equipment. But just how much kit do you get in the Levorg? What’s the kit like, and does the car feel like value for money?
In our second long term report, we examine in detail the Levorg’s standard equipment, what options are available and how the specification compares to similarly priced estates.
The price
The Subaru Levorg in its standalone GT specification is priced from £27,495. For that kind of money, you can get sporty estates like the Renault Megane Sport Tourer GT Nav (which has a nearly identical starting price) or a Skoda Octavia vRS estate, which is more than a grand cheaper.
With all this in mind, there’s pressure for the Levorg to deliver in many areas, including with its equipment.
Standard equipment
One of the most significant standard features on the Levorg is the Subaru STARLINK infotainment system, which comes with a seven-inch touchscreen display.
Satellite navigation and DAB radio are both included in the infotainment system as standard, plus there’s a CD player and the audio comes out of six onboard speakers.
Functionality-wise the touchscreen device is not the fastest-responding one we’ve used in a family car, but it does a satisfactory job at least. The navigation map has a good amount of detailing and instructions are easy enough to follow.
The touchscreen also provides the display for the rear parking camera that’s also standard on the Levorg. The display from the camera is very clear (provided the lens isn’t dirty of course) and because the Levorg is long and doesn’t have a particularly brilliant turning circle, it’s a very welcome feature.
In regards seating, the Levorg comes as standard at the front with chunky, leather-covered sports seats which come with blue stitching. They do feel good to sit in and help give you a commanding view of the road ahead, while they even come with onboard heaters with a couple of different settings.
Other luxuries which come as standard include Bluetooth connectivity, MirrorLink smartphone app support, dual-zone automatic climate control and dual USB ports for both the front and rear passengers. The soft-touch material flap which covers the USB ports for rear passengers is a neat, professional-looking touch.
So, what about driving features that are on the standard equipment list? Well the Levorg also comes with automatic LED headlamps, privacy glass at the rear and stop-start engine technology for the 1.6-litre turbo petrol unit under the bonnet.
Other driving aids include Subaru Rear Vehicle Detention (SRVD) which displays little orange indicators on the mirrors which make it clearer there’s a car near either side of you.
Optional equipment
The list of optional kit available for the Subaru Levorg is not particularly long. Also, we frankly struggle to imagine you could justify investing in the vast majority of these options, unless you happen to have specific uses for your Levorg in mind.
Those interested in getting a bicycle holder for instance can get one for the roof for just over £100 or a towbar mounted bicycle holder from £285.
Roof boxes are also available, costing you just over £380 for one with 380 litres capacity, or just over £420 for one with 430 litres of capacity. You can also get ski attachments for just over £120.
There isn’t much in the way of driver aids to add, although you can get front and rear parking sensors. They cost £405 separately though, so if you specify parking sensors for both the front and rear you’re spending just over £800 extra. True this is a big car, but with the rear parking camera already onboard as standard, this alone should help you deal with virtually all parking situations.
The other items on the options list besides what has already been mentioned are, for the most part, either protection or storage add-ons for the rear boot or small styling enhancements for the exterior or interior. These mostly vary in price from between about £100 and £400.
So, while you could make your Levorg look sportier with some STi-badged exterior and interior enhancements, these won’t make the car go any faster and could ramp up the car’s total price to close to £30,000.
Is it value for money?
It does feel as though the Subaru Levorg is well equipped as standard, as you’d hope when spending this amount of money on an estate car. Compared to the sporty Skoda and Renault estates we mentioned earlier, the Levorg’s equipment list doesn’t exactly stand out but is about on par instead.
Features like the rear parking camera, sat-nav and the climate control and heated seats are very welcome, although the quality of onboard features is mixed inside. While some parts like the gearstick and steering wheel for instance are covered in smart leather trim, these nice-to-touch areas are usually juxtaposed with something covered in hard, much cheaper-feeling plastic next to them.
As for the options, the list isn’t big and there’s not really anything that leaps out as a must have. If you’re sure you’d be using your Levorg to support specific hobbies like cycling for instance, then you can make a case for related options.
For the most part though, the options are superficial really and if you’re spending nearly £30k on this car, then you’ve got nearly enough money to buy the quickest estates around like the Volkswagen Golf R estate.
